


Part 2 - It's Been A Long, Long Time

by RogersandBarnes107



Series: Bucky Barnes - Rebirth [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:27:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21652138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogersandBarnes107/pseuds/RogersandBarnes107
Summary: After an eventful evening, Bucky runs into Maggie again and stunning revelations surface.
Series: Bucky Barnes - Rebirth [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1554157
Kudos: 1





	Part 2 - It's Been A Long, Long Time

The room was hot.

He’d forgotten what summer in the city was like.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pushed the sweat off his face. A grin snuck out one side of his mouth.

 _Note to self – do NOT tell Sam he was right_.

He looked next him. The naked body of ‘J’ spread out asleep and snoring.

_Jenna._

He wouldn’t forget that name now. She had demanded over and over and again that he scream it out. Theatrics weren’t usually his style still he did his best. He smiled to himself. He was happy with his performance – Jenna seemed so too. This was an area of his physicality he was going to have to get used to though – it seemed ‘fast’ wasn’t restricted to just his athletic prowess. He picked up his watch strewn amongst his clothes on the floor. 930pm … just under an hour since they had made it back to her apartment and he’d somehow managed a preview, an opening night, a matinee, night show AND an encore. To tell the truth he was ready to go again.

 _Almost makes it worth being tortured for … ok, Buck. That was a little much._ The post-coital glow swelled. He got dressed – ditching the ripped and stained shirt of Sam’s. He zipped his jacket all the way up for decency, wrote a quick note on the back of a receipt he found and made his exit.

He decided to catch the A train home. Sitting in the crowded carriage he smiled, realizing for the first time in what seemed like years he felt … content.

_How the heck did that happen?_

A slight buzzing feeling near his nasal cavity reminded him.

 _Oh yeah – she punched me in the face_.

He laughed. Being caught off guard wasn’t what he was known for. That woman was nothing if not disarming. After she had clocked him straight in the nose he had felt a strange sensation spread through his shirt onto his torso – and realised the strange clown-doll woman had also thrown what was left of Jenna’s carafe on to him. “You ASSHOLE!”, she had screamed. Necessary dramatic effect.

His vision came back and she stormed off to the bar where she was confronting … _conspiring?_ … or conversing with Jenna.

Maggie was animated. Jenna was not.

He couldn’t make out what she was saying to her but he did see Jenna’s jaw drop almost dislocating from her skull. Maggie picked up the second cocktail and downed it, smashing the glass on the bar as she turned to leave. He looked around; people were taking interest in the ruckus _._

 _Dinner and a Show_.

Maggie walked straight past him and in one fluid action picked up the gym bag she’d left on his table. She was almost at the door when he reached her, grabbing her arm to stop her.

“Hey! Hey wait”

“Shhhh – remember! The less you say the better. But hey, nice grab! - Makes you look aggressive and dangerous”, her eyes brightening with enthusiasm.

“What did you say to her?”

“Does it matter?” she looked over his shoulder to where Jenna stood at the bar. “I reckon you’ve got about 2-3 minutes and you’ll be outta here.”

He looked back to the bar where Jenna stood transfixed. There was heat to her stare that frightened him. He felt Maggie try to pull away from him but he kept his grip.

“Jesus, you’re strong!”

“Hang on. Just wait a second!” He wanted to say something but didn’t know what or how. He didn’t like that someone could make him feel this uncertain. He tried to find the right words, “How … do I find you? – You know, for your favour? … If this works?”

 _For the favour. Yeah, Buck. Sure_.

Somewhere over his shoulder Steve laughed.

She launched that devastating smile at him again.

“I’ll find _you_. Trust me.”

Maggie in all of her sequins and army boots managed to dislodge from Bucky’s hand and in an instant she was out the door - a cold breeze followed as the ghost of Steve left with her.

She was right – it had to be only a minute, if that, before Jenna came back to the table. She seemed to have polished off her cocktail at the bar. She grabbed her coat and purse off the table and instructed him that they were leaving. He hadn’t known what to think. Was that an invitation? Was she pissed with whatever Maggie had said? _What had she said_? He hung back as she intently tapped away on her phone. He didn’t know what to say. Maggie had also said the less the better but – surely an apology? He tried it out – perhaps too tentatively.

“Listen…I have no idea what she said but …” A car pulled up the curb and Jenna opened the door.

“Get in.”

Not an invitation - a direct command. Once a soldier, always a soldier.

“Yes Ma’am”.

They hadn’t pulled away from the corner before she was on him.

He alighted at Borough Hall and walked back to his apartment up Remsen Street. She kept invading his mind. He knew he had problems with his memory. There is a certain mnemonic gap that will arise from brainwashing, torture and then restorative surgery. His tangential thought patterns weren’t smooth. They were more like landmines going off. And all evening she’d been exploding in his brain. The heat rose in his body. He didn’t want to be crude, but couldn’t deny that the moment he’d entered Jenna, Maggie’s smile had been there in his mind, pushing him over the edge and making the girl beneath him writhe. After what could only be described as the most vigorous sex of his life, it wasn’t his physical partner that stayed with him. It was the living Degas in the tattered coat.

 _Another ghost_ , he mused.

He arrived home, dislocated his arm, showered, and pulled on sweats and a cutoff sweater. Splayed out on the sofa, he tried the meditating his therapist had suggested. All sorts of images, sounds and memories whipped through his distorted brain: Slow dancing at the restaurant; that song again … _Kiss me once and kiss me twice and kiss me once again – it’s been a long, long time…_ Maggie. There she was again. Why did she look so familiar? Although he could still feel Jenna on him, all his other senses were attuned to Maggie. He could smell the hairspray and perfume float towards him as he’d grabbed her before the door. It was like oxygen he hadn’t knew he’d needed. At the same time, Jenna was deftly removing his belt from his jeans, her hands already making their way in. His arms were then around a long lost woman as he danced her across the floor. None of this was unpleasant. Just distracting; confusing.

_Get a grip, Buck._

He reattached his arm. Grabbed his keys, wallet and hoody and went for a run.

…………..

By car, Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island takes around 30 minutes. Taking every backstreet and alley he could, not wanting to be seen, running to cause a sweat, trying to get her out of his mind … he was there in 20. _That_ was fast. Even at his most super-soldiery, that would’ve been fast even for Steve.

_Jesus, maybe I haven’t hit my stride yet? Maybe Steve hadn’t either._

He heard it before he’d seen it. In summer, the parks didn’t close til late. The kids and families on vacations were making the most of the warm conditions. He’d run down 16th street – the whir of mechanics, the crash of the sea and thrilling screams all blended seamlessly together. As he got to Mermaid Avenue, all of the lights hit him. He jogged onto Surf Street and looked up ahead.

Memories – faceless girls, his arms around their waist, his fingers devilishly making their way south; Steve in tow. He hadn’t been here since 1940 – _39?_ He couldn’t believe Nathan’s Hot Dog Stand was still there. His appetite was up - _a dog with extra relish wouldn’t go astray_. He decided to make his way towards the famous eatery. There was the Cyclone – then there was Steve puking everywhere. A smile spread on his face. He watched the groups of teenagers; the potential couples ever so slowly separating from the packs; kids in their Dads arms looking up at the Wonder Wheel. The crowds buzzed past him. From some shop front a song played about belonging to the city, belonging to the night. He couldn’t agree more. No matter what had happened to him – New York had never left his blood. He’d just got to Stillwell Avenue, Nathan’s sign blinking across the road from him, the saxophone from that song still wafting out in the air. His heart swelled. He could smell the salt gusting off the sea. A tear or two found its way down his face – he was overwhelmed. Experiencing these senses; just being able to feel again… Shuri had done a better job, than she knew. The woman burst back into his mind again. He thought he was daydreaming when he heard the voice.

“ I told you, I find you.”

A group of kids with oversized Iron Man and Captain America toys ran past him as he looked for the source of the voice. She was standing under the light of the crosswalk. Same coat, same dress, same boots. The sculpture that inhabited her head was more askew. It had reduced, half it now spilling down her back. She looked out of place; out of time. He felt his heart expand just a little bit more. The music from the store front changed – ‘ _So far away from me… so far I just can’t see…_ ’ It was apt. She was like looking at a hologram. Right in front of him, but in a different place entirely.

 _So much for getting her out my head_.

“How…? How did you know…?”

“Oh, don’t panic. I wasn’t stalking you, we just… we just seem to have ended up in the same place. Strange, don’t you think?”

He wasn’t sure if he bought it. Everything this woman had done in the past couple of hours had absolute impact on his state of being. That _had_ to be calculated right? She sensed the silence. Hands in her pockets, looking to the ground she blushed as she admitted.

“This is my … happy place.”

“Coney Island?”

“Well, yeah – look around. Everyone here is always happy. Except for overtired three year olds, you never find people here unhappy.”

He put his hands on his hips, still trying to get his breath back. He knew that was a fast run, but suspected his breathlessness had more to do with her than any activity. He became conscious some people were starting to double take at him. He hadn’t bought his gloves out. The metallic hand was a giveaway. Maggie could sense his unease and countered as gracefully as possible.

“I’m _dying_ for a corn dog”, she turned to join the throng waiting to cross the road. The breeze off the ocean sent that sweet scent towards him again; the wind dancing around the curls down her back.

_Who are you?_

As if hearing his thoughts she looked back over her shoulder and smiled, “Come on.”

…………………….

“I gotta say… that was one of the most of delicious things I’ve ever eaten. And one of the unhealthiest things I’ve ever put in my body. A deep-fried hot dog? On a stick!”

She giggled, wiping a remnant of ketchup from the corner of her mouth.

“Right? Ingenious invention.”

“And these are pretty much at all carnivals now?”

“Yep. Came out of Texas in the late 30s and hit all the State Fair routes. I’m pretty sure during the time they became really popular, you’d already shipped out.”

“I had never heard of these. If I had – I would’ve signed up sooner. Now, _that_ is an American institution worth fighting for.”

She laughed again, the wind blowing her hair all around her shoulders. They were strolling along the boardwalk – which was a totally different beast than when he was a kid. A song piped in from the amusement park …

“I think I’ve heard that song before. But I can’t be sure.”

“I LOVE this song – it’s what I think of when I think of summer. _‘Under the boardwalk … on a blanket with my baby…’_ Mmmm. Nothing like summer love.”

“We got up to some pretty interesting things under the boardwalk here.”

Her eyes lit up.

“Really? Steve too?”

“Steve too.”

“Oh my God!” she skipped forward and turned to face him, walking backwards as they spoke. “Steve got lucky? Here?”

“Well, I don’t know if he got ‘lucky’ lucky … he was never a kiss and tell type of guy. But… I do remember a very intoxicated young lady, making him smile a mile wide.”

She guffawed again, “No way!” She ran a little ahead, obviously entertained and then fell back into step with him. “Geez…see this is the stuff I missing in my research. The things you could tell me.”

She met his eye; She was being sincere. He’d love to help but memories were hard for him sometimes. He looked away.

Silence.

She was the braver one and broke it. “I’m sorry. Occupational faux pas, I guess… anyway… speaking of getting lucky…” Maggie she stopped just out the front of the Thunderbolt, raising her eyebrows inquisitively at him. The festoons made her hair come alive, hitting the diamantes she had scattered throughout it. He found her eyes – just for a second. Then the smile crept on to his face again, and he looked away. Her large eyes dilated, cartoon like.

“No way! No way!! It worked?”

“Yes. It worked. Oh and my face is fine, thank you for asking.”

Her hand went straight to his check, inspecting by touch where she had delivered her punch. Her hands were soft. A small vibration worked its way through its body. _What is it about her?_

“Oh! I am so sorry but I knew you of all people would be able to take it. See – no marks. Ain’t nothing wrong with that face, believe me.”

“Still. You knocked the eyes out of my head for a good second. Where did you learn to punch like that?”

“My lawyer. He’s multi-talented”.

“Well, I suppose a thank you is in order… Hey, what did you say to her?” Maggie removed her hand. He wished she wouldn’t.

“Well, I didn’t lie. All information imparted to her was thoroughly researched”, she giggled. “I can’t believe it worked…Uh-uh. No. No way. The timing doesn’t work out …”

“What?”

“No, you’re having me on. I left you at 830. It’s not even 11 yet. There is no way you could’ve got from Manhattan to here with enough time to …”

“To…?”

“…to…” her rouge deepened considerably as she searched her vocabulary. “…. to… satisfy requirements.” She laughed at the ridiculousness of the phrase. He joined her.

“I caught the subway home from her apartment and then I ran here.”

“You ran here?”

“Yeah, needed to clear my head. And … this was my happy place too.” She smiled. Even with the breeze, the heat seared through him. Just watching her thought process filter across that face made his skin warm.

“How long did it take you to run here?”, she asked.

“20 minutes.”

“20 minutes?? That’s fast! That’s …”, she was biting her bottom lip again as she mentally processed the details. “Jesus. That’s faster than even Steve ever recorded.” Something crossed her eyes that concerned him. When Steve had gotten him out of the Hydra camp he’d had to get used to what his friend had become – how for the first time in their long friendship, he paled in comparison in everyway. It wasn’t an easy transition but he had owed Steve his life. Now, however - after all the shit that had gone down, he was happy just to blend into the background. He just wanted a quiet, normal life. Maybe a WWII historian figuring out he was the fastest man on earth wasn’t the best thing for that. And he couldn’t deny that for all of the sensory overload Miss Maggie gave him, she had him constantly on edge. He couldn’t read her at all. He didn’t have much time to worry though. Whatever troubled her was replaced with another thought.

“Soooo… if you can _run_ that fast…”

“You really want to know this?”

“I’m sorry. I’m a curious kitty. Greg is always going off at me because of it…” Her words said _I’ll drop it_. Her penetrating stare said _I’m waiting_.

“Really?”

“I promise, I won’t say anything or tell anyone or send you in for any sort of ‘performance’ testing”, she looked like a kid in a candy store. He sighed. Saying no was proving to be difficult with her.

“… I was with Jenna for almost an hour.”

“Oh. An hour? – that’s… enough time, I guess”, she was trying to be supportive. “I mean you did say you weren’t going to see her again so … yeah, in and out. That works.”

He smiled, and moved closer to her. He felt her bristle slightly as he came forward. She had diamond and pearl studs in her ears. They were elegant; reminded him of something his mother would’ve worn. Her floral scent again, triggered his goosebumps. He leant down and whispered in her ear.

She jumped.

“FIVE TIMES!”

People turned.

“Shhhh!”

She jumped with embarrassment and grabbed his arms, standing close and pulling them into their own conspiratorial world.

“Five times?? In a hour??”

“Just under an hour.”

“UNDER?! … Sergeant Barnes. You are a machine!”

“Actually, for first time in forever I don’t feel like one.” Maggie was still holding his forearms, her hair blowing around her face. Just out of instinct, he put his hands on her waist. She shivered a little but didn’t object. “I feel like a man again.”

Maggie moved a little further towards him, her hands moving to his biceps. Suddenly, warning bells rang incessantly in his head.

_Can it, Buck! She’s married._

Of course. Greg.

How had he forgotten? Not wanting to come off like some womanizing asshole, he disengaged.

She stepped back a bit, flushed and a little confused. He decided to make the conversation relevant.

“So, you…haven’t been home at all?”

She played along but was a little lost. She seemed to be processing what she had just felt.

“Ah … no. No. I needed to let him have his time. It was a pretty monumental screw up on my behalf. He’s been so patient with me and this was really important to him.” She started to bite her fingernails. Bucky then realised there she wasn’t wearing a ring. Things were different these days – if he was going to get back in the swing of things he should probably acknowledge it. Try and understand the new in’s and out’s of relationships.

“You’re not wearing a ring.”

“Sorry?”

“Uh … your left hand? Is that a choice these days? Not wearing a wedding ring?”

Maggie looked confused.

“I’m not married…”

“Oh right. You guys are just happy together then…?” Her eyes searched his face, trying to read what he meant. It was a few moments before the realisation dawned on her.

“Oh my god. At the restaurant. You asked how long we’d been together. You meant as a couple?”

“Yes … you’re not?”

“No. Well, not a romantic couple. Greg’s my dance partner.”

The hair, the makeup, the dress. Clarity.

_After this is all over, I might even go dancing._

_Then what are we waiting for …_

A memory unseated him for a moment. _What the hell … ?_

She continued. “I mean he’s my best friend as well. And my business partner and room mate but … we’ve been _dancing_ together for 20 years.” He felt something click in side him – relief?

“You live together, work together and dance together… but you’re not…together together?”

She laughed, long and deep. Almost like an unburdening.

“No. No no no no no. God, no. Greg’s gay! You… know what ‘gay’ is, right?”

“Yes. Yes, I know. We called it something different in my day.”

“Which I assume is very illegal to say these days?”

“You would be correct. So … you are...?”

“Single?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah. Yep. Yes. Very. Very single”. The giggle again. _And very nervous_. Bucky breathed in and moved in front of her.

“So.”

“So…?” she echoed. She moved closer to him. He could see her trying to anticipate what he was going to say … or do.

“What’s the favour? Like I promised... I’m all yours.” Her eyes sparkled. So much passed over them it was like trying to speed-read a book. She swallowed hard, but didn’t take her eyes off him. He could see words form that she had no idea how to say. The giddy, excited-ness had settle into that beautiful, sad expression he’d seen at the restaurant. His chest restricted. He had originally assumed she wanted to interview him. She was a historian, yes? He now berated himself for having wished that it might be more physical in nature. _I’m all yours_. But her face said different. He tried to foresee her request, his mind racing through options of what it could be. A group of college kids, stuffed toys, arms around each other walked by them. Just when it looked like she’d found the right words, one of them turned around and spoke to them.

“Dr. Barnes?”

_Doctor?_

_Where did he get that?_ He definitely wasn’t a Doctor. And when most people recognised him it was usually with anger as the Winter Soldier. Maybe the odd ‘Bucky’, but mostly he encountered fear and hate. He went to correct the young man but Maggie had spoken before he could respond.

“Hi Tyler.”

_What? She knows this kid?_

“Dr. Barnes! I thought it was you! You look amazing!” The group had stopped, other members joined Tyler.

“Hey, Doc!”

“Bucky! Hiiiii.”

It wasn’t directed at him.

It was like these kids didn’t see him. They were all addressing Maggie. He remembered Greg calling ‘Bucky’ in the restaurant and it dawned, it wasn’t to him. It was to her.

“Hey Guys”, she smiled.

“Yo, BB! You dressed to the niiiiines, boo. Where you at? You dancing tonight?”

“I…yes. There was a competition tonight”. She was shaking. He could tell she was trying to be gracious and humour the kids but she was absolutely aware of the incredulity he was projecting towards her. The kids kept on.

“Did you win, Doc?”

“Uh…no. Not tonight.”

“Daaamn. I would’ve voted for you, B. You hot AF!”

“Thank you, Raymond...but you’re still not getting that ‘A’’. The group laughed. Raymond feigned hurt at being shut down. Tyler had clocked Dr. Barnes companion. Curiosity seemed to be something she passed on to students.

“Hey, Dr. Barnes. Is this the infamous Greg?”

He made sure to put his left hand in his hoody pocket where they couldn’t see it. She looked at him, trying to decide how to play it. She moved slightly in front, trying to hide him from the group.

“No. This is … this is my friend. James.”

Raymond started ‘oooohs’ and ‘ahhhs’ through out the group.

Tyler’s girlfriend commented to another young man in the group, “I wish I had a friend who looked like that!” The young man replied: “Yes. Pleeease”.

In spite of himself, Bucky couldn’t help but laugh. She turned and whispered in his ear, ‘Put your arm around me!’ Maggie stood facing the group, Bucky to her right side. He put his right arm around the front of her waist. Not only did this hide his hand, it obscured his face as well. She was so close now, the scent in her hair was now transferring to his cheek.

She kept the kids engaged and distracted, “Yeah, yeah laugh it up. I have a life too, you know.”

“But Bucky, he’s not Steve Rogers? Don’t tell me you’ve moved on from your main squeeze?” The group laughed.

“Well, I’m lucky that Jimmy here loves Steve as much as I do.” Catcalls cascaded through the kids. Tyler, feeling embarrassed now at their interrogation started to lead the group away.

“We’ll see you next semester! Have good summer, Doc.”

“Thanks guys”

“Yo, J!”, Raymond called to Bucky. “J, my man! Look after that one. She’s a catch!”

“Thanks, Ray…”, Maggie countered. They all laughed and went on their way.

“Thank you for that. If they would’ve recognised you they never would’ve left.” They were still standing into each other. He wanted to pull her closer. Completely floored by the turn of events he felt if he let her go she would just evaporate away. Conscious of his reticence, she pushed him away. Maggie started pacing slightly – more like swaying on her heels. He couldn’t get a read her. He remembered when Steve was like this. But when Steve shut down, he shut down for good. He was hoping that unlike Steve she’d at least try to reconcile her feelings. He decided to nudge her along.

“Do you want to maybe try to explain that to me … Doctor Barnes?”

Her voice was shaky. All emotion. “I didn’t want you find out like that. Please – believe me…”

“I believe you. I do. But I have one huge question that I need you to answer before I can _trust_ you.”

The wind blew her hair. It covered her face until all he could see where her eyes. Tears brimmed over the surface. As she moved her hair behind her shoulders and they finally fell down her cheek.

“I’m all yours”, she replied

He kept her gaze as he asked:

“Who are you?”

“I'm Bucky Barnes.”


End file.
